Is it permissible to pay money to someone who has been promised something, in order for them to relinquish fulfilling that promise?

Fulfilling a promise is recommended according to the majority of scholars. The Maliki school, however, holds that it is obligatory if not fulfilling it leads to harm for the promisee. This latter view is closer to the objectives of Sharia. Therefore, if the promisor's backing out from buying the sheep caused harm to the merchant, the merchant has the right to demand compensation for the actual damage only. As for compelling the promisor to buy all the sheep or compensating the merchant with fifty dinars, this is not permissible, because the promisor did not promise that, and the merchant is not entitled to demand more than the actual damage incurred.